Last, Smallest, Shortest, but Certainly one of the Best: Canadice Lake

I'll admit it. I'm feeling a little sentimental right now. Bear with me please :)

In my first post I laid out my paddling goals for this summer. Some were intentionally ambitious and others were intentionally ambiguous. At some point last spring it occurred to me (possibly caused by some senior year sentimentality) that I live in an incredibly beautiful region called the Finger Lakes that's lush with kayaking opportunities that I had never really taken advantage of. I set out to circumnavigate or paddle at least 15 miles on each of the 11 Finger Lakes by the end of the year. It wasn't really a challenging goal, but it certainly took some great company, planning, dedication, and hours in the car. Over the past 6 months I managed to drag myself and my friends to 24 different bodies of water, and I loved every minute of it! I guess now it's time to make some new goals!

Click read more to hear about our last Finger Lake and see a stack of beautiful fall photos...

Today we (Heather, Jeff Bu., Nick, Ben, Rob, and I) paddled the perimeter of Canadice Lake (Iroquois for "Long Lake," even though it's the shortest one!). After a slight delay on my part due to a desire for Honey Crisp apples from Honeoye, we put in at the only official put-in: on the east side, about a mile down the lake.

We headed south towards the shallow/swampy part of the lake. Similar to Hemlock Lake, virtually none of the Canadice shores are developed, apart from a few random canoes/aluminum boats strewn in the woods. We immediately noticed (and played around in) the stands of dead trees in the water at the south end - a sight we haven't really seen on any of the other Finger Lakes. There were also many flocks of birds hanging out at the south end of the lake.

After dabbling around the south end for a while, we headed back up along the west shore where we scoped out a stopping point for lunch. From the water rings around the tree trunks it looked like the water level was fairly low. It was easy to find a rocky beach where we could get out and stretch our legs.

By the time we headed out after lunch the water was so calm that you could see perfect reflections on the water (see slideshow above).  At the north end of the lake lies a dam that holds the water level of the lake higher than it would naturally be. We climbed out and explored it. There was a concrete spillway to allow runoff in the case of a big rain storm. It was a good perch from which to take photos (see slideshow).

We soon headed back towards the put-in where Rob and Ben practiced some rolls.  When we were back on land Heather, pulled out a surprise bottle of sparkling wine and Rob threw in some delicious chocolate! We managed to get some funny looks from other boaters who were coming and going. At Heather's suggestion, we ended the day at a Mexican restaurant in Canandaigua. It was delicious and delightful. 

Date: October 24th, 2010
Distance: 7 miles
Weather: Perfectly fall